The present invention relates to systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and playing music, and more particularly to systems and methods employing a top-down and interactive auto-composition process, where the systems/methods provide the user with a musical composition that may be modified and interacted with and played and/or stored (for later play) in order to create music that is desired by the particular user.
A large number of distinct musical styles have emerged over the years, as have systems and technologies for creating, storing, and playing back music in accordance with such styles. Music creation, particularly of any quality, typically has been limited to persons who have musical training or who have expended the time and energy required to learn and play one or more instruments. Systems for creating and storing quality musical compositions have tended towards technologies that utilize significant computer processing and/or data storage. More recent examples of such technologies include compact disc (CD) audio players and players of compressed files (for instance as per the MPEG-level 3 standard), etc. Finally, there exist devices incorporating a tuner, which permit reception of radio broadcasts via electromagnetic waves, such as FM or AM radio receivers.
Electronics and computer-related technologies have been increasingly applied to musical instruments over the years. Musical synthesizers and other instruments of increasing complexity and musical sophistication and quality have been developed, a xe2x80x9clanguagexe2x80x9d for conversation between such instruments has been created, which is known as the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) standard. While MIDI-compatible instruments and computer technologies have had a great impact on the ability to create and playback or store music, such systems still tend to require substantial musical training or experience, and tend to be complex and expensive.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music employing a top-down process, where the systems/methods provide the user with a musical composition that may be modified and interacted with and played and/or stored (for later play) in order to create music that is desired by the particular user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music that enables a user to quickly begin creating desirable music in accordance with one or a variety of musical styles, with the user modifying an auto-composed or previously created musical composition, either for a real time performance and/or for storing and subsequent playback.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which a graphical interface is provided to facilitate use of the system and increase user enjoyment of the system by having graphic information presented in a manner that corresponds with the music being heard or aspects of the music that are being modified or the like; it also is an object of the present invention to make such graphic information customizable by a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which a graphical interface is provided that presents a representation of a plurality of musical lanes, below each of which is represented a tunnel, in which a user may modify musical parameters, samples or other attributes of the musical composition, with such modifications preferably being accompanied by a change in a visual effect.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which music may be represented in a form to be readily modified or used in an auto-composition algorithm or the like, and which presents reduced processing and/or storage requirements as compared to certain conventional audio storage techniques.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which music may be automatically composed in a variety of distinct musical styles, where a user may interact with auto-composed music to create new music of the particular musical style, where the system controls which parameters may be modified by the user, and the range in which such parameters may be changed by the user, consistent with the particular musical style.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music based on efficient song structures and ways to represent songs, which may incorporate or utilize pseudo-random/random events in the creation of musical compositions based on such song structures and ways to represent songs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which songs may be efficiently created, stored and/processed; preferably songs are represented in a form such that a relatively small amount of data storage is required to store the song, and thus songs may be stored using relatively little data storage capacity or a large number of songs may be stored in a given data storage capacity, and songs may be transmitted such as via the Internet using relatively little data transmission bandwidth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which a modified MIDI representation of music is employed, preferably, for example, in which musical rule information is embedded in MIDI pitch data, musical rules are applied in a manner that utilize relative rhythmic density and relative mobility of note pitch, and in which sound samples may be synchronized with MIDI events in a desirable and more optimum manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which a hardware/software system preferably includes a radio tuner so that output from the radio tuner may be mixed, for example, with autocomposed songs created by the system, which preferably includes a virtual radio mode of operation; it also is an object of the present invention to provide hardware that utilizes nonvolatile storage media to store songs, song lists and configuration information, and hardware that facilitates the storing and sharing of songs and song lists and the updating of sound banks and the like that are used to create musical compositions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music that works in conjunction with a companion PC software program that enables users to utilize the resources of a companion PC and/or to easily update and/or share Play lists, components of songs, songs, samples, etc.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music in which songs may be generated, exchanged and disseminated, preferably or potentially on a royalty free basis.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for creating, modifying, interacting with and/or playing music that may be adapted to a variety of applications, systems and processes in which such music creation may be utilized.
The present invention addresses such problems and limitations and provides systems and methods that may achieve such objects by providing hardware, software, musical composition algorithms and a user interface and the like (as hereinafter described in detail) in which users may readily create, modify, interact with and play music. In a preferred embodiment, the system is provided in a handheld form factor, much like a video or electronic game. A graphical display is provided to display status information, graphical representations of musical lanes or components, which preferably vary in shape, color or other visual attribute as musical parameters and the like are changed for particular instruments or musical components such as a microphone input, samples, etc. The system preferably operates in a variety of modes such that users may create, modify, interact with and play music of a desired style, including an electronic DJ (xe2x80x9ce-DJxe2x80x9d) mode, a virtual radio mode, a song/song list playback mode, sample create/playback mode and a system mode, all of which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
Preferred embodiments employ a top-down process, where the system provides the user with in effect a complete musical composition, basically a song, that may be modified and interacted with and played and/or stored (for later play) in order to create music that is desired by the particular user. Utilizing an auto-composition process employing musical rules and preferably a pseudo random number generator, which may also incorporate randomness introduced by timing of user input or the like, the user may then quickly begin creating desirable music in accordance with one or a variety of musical styles, with the user modifying the autocomposed (or previously created) musical composition, either for a real time performance and/or for storing and subsequent playback.
A graphical interface preferably is provided to facilitate use of the system and increase user enjoyment of the system by having graphic information presented in a manner that corresponds with the music being heard or aspects of the music that are being modified or the like. An LCD display preferably is used to provide the graphical user interface, although an external video monitor or other display may be used as an addition or an alternative. In preferred embodiments, such graphic information is customizable by a user, such as by way of a companion software program, which preferably runs on a PC and is coupled to the system via an interface such as a USB port. For example, the companion software program may provide templates or sample graphics that the user may select and/or modify to customize the graphics displayed on the display, which may be selected and/or modified to suit the particular user""s preferences or may be selected to correspond in some manner to the style of music being played. In one embodiment, the companion software program provides one or more templates or sample graphics sets, wherein the particular template(s) or sample graphic set(s) correspond to a particular style of music. With such embodiments, the graphics may be customized to more closely correspond to the particular style of music being created or played and/or to the personal preferences of the user.
The graphical interface preferably presents, in at least one mode of operation, a visual representation of a plurality of musical lanes or paths corresponding to components (such as particular instruments, samples or microphone input, etc.). In addition to allowing the user to visualize the various components of the musical composition, through user input (such as through a joystick movement) the user may go into a particular lane, which preferably is represented visually by a representation of a tunnel. When inside of a particular tunnel, a user may modify musical parameters, samples or other attributes of the musical composition, with such modifications preferably being accompanied by a change in a visual effect that accompany the tunnel.
In accordance with preferred embodiments, music may be automatically composed in a variety of distinct musical styles. The user preferably is presented with a variety of pre-set musical styles, which the user may select. As a particular example, in e-DJ mode, the user may select a particular style from a collection of styles (as will be explained hereinafter, styles maybe arranged as xe2x80x9cstyle mixesxe2x80x9d and within a particular style mix one or more particular styles, and optionally substyles or xe2x80x9cmicrostyles.xe2x80x9d After selection of a particular style or substyle, with a preferably single button push (e.g., play) the system begins automatically composing music in accordance with the particular selected style or substyle. Thereafter, the user may interact with the auto-composed music of the selected style/substyle to modify parameters of the particular music (such as via entering a tunnel for a particular component of the music), and via such modifications create new music of the particular musical style/substyle. In order to facilitate the creation of music of a desirable quality consistent with the selected style/substyle, the system preferably controls which parameters may be modified by the user, and the range over which such parameters may be changed by the user, consistent with the particular musical style/substyle. The system preferably accomplishes this via music that may be represented in a form to be readily modified or used in an auto-composition algorithm or the like. The musical data representation, and accompanying rules for processing the musical data, enable music to be auto-composed and interacted with in a manner that presents reduced processing and/or storage requirements as compared to certain conventional audio storage techniques (such as CD audio, MP3 files, WAV files, etc.).
In accordance with certain embodiments, the system operates based on efficient song structures and ways to represent songs, which may incorporate or utilize pseudo-random/random events in the creation of musical compositions based on such song structures and ways to represent songs. Songs may be efficiently created, stored and/processed, and preferably songs are represented in a form such that a relatively small amount of data storage is required to store the song. Songs may be stored using relatively little data storage capacity or a large number of songs may be stored in a given data storage capacity, and songs may be transmitted such as via the Internet using relatively little data transmission bandwidth. In preferred embodiments, a modified MIDI representation of music is employed, preferably, for example, in which musical rule information is embedded in MIDI pitch data, and in which sound samples may be synchronized with MIDI events in a desirable and more optimum manner.
The system architecture of preferred embodiments includes a microprocessor or microcontroller for controlling the overall system operation. A synthesizer/DSP is provided in certain embodiments in order to generate audio streams (music and audio samples, etc.). Non-volatile memory preferably is provided for storing sound barks. Preferably removable non-volatile storage/memory preferably is provided to store configuration files, song lists and samples, and in certain embodiments sound bank optimization or sound bank data. A codec preferably is provided for receiving microphone input and for providing audio output. A radio tuner preferably is provided so that output from the radio tuner may be mixed, for example, with auto-composed songs created by the system, which preferably includes a virtual radio mode of operation. The system also preferably includes hardware and associated software that facilitates the storing and sharing of songs and song lists and the updating of sound banks and the like that are used to create musical compositions.
In alternative embodiments, the hardware, software, musical data structures and/or user interface attributes are adapted to, and employed in, a variety of applications, systems and processes in which such music creation may be utilized.
Such aspects of the present invention will be understood based on the detailed description to follow hereinafter.